While it’s not really feasible to knock on every door or call every phone to ask what people got for Christmas, there is one sure fire way of telling what was popular out there. The App Store.
Why? Because almost all good gadgets today require a “companion app”, an app to either get it working or to use the best features of your gadget.
So we’ve taken a look into the App Store ratings to see what Apps you’ve been downloading and thus, what gadgets were under the tree this Christmas.
And the big news is the win goes to Google Home with Amazon’s Alexa well behind.
On both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store the number 1 app right now is Google Home.
The huge popularity of the Google Home speakers has carried though from 2017, though this year it’s the Smart Screen that shon.
Our mystery shopping at several retail stores that were selling Google Home Hub along with Lenovo’s Smart Display and JBL’s Link View showed ever diminishing stocks all around.
Amazon’s Alexa sits in 47th spot in the Apple Charts but doesn’t crack it for a top 100 spot on Google.
Health and Fitness was the other clear category battle this year, with Fitbit sitting behind Google Home in 2nd place on both Apple and Google’s charts.
Garmin cracks the top 20 on for Apple iPhone owners
Garmin made an appearance in both with their Garmin Connect app and Vivofit Junior app too but it’s a clear win to Fitbit for Christmas 2018.
The other standouts in the lists were speakers, with the UE Boom products clearly proving popular for downloads, while Bose also cracks a mention too.
Perhaps in a sign that things didn’t go well for all the gift-giving, the eBay and Gumtree apps are also quite popular at this time of year:)
It’s an interesting test of what sells, and it carries serious weight, because certainly for the Smart Speakers and Fitness gadgets they require the apps just to get started.
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts several popular podcasts, EFTM, Two Blokes Talking Tech, Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, and the Private Feed. He is the resident tech expert for Triple M on radio across Australia, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show and appears regularly on 9 News, A Current Affair and Sky News Early Edition.
Father of three, he is often found in his Man Cave.
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